The Renaissance Of The New Paltz Music Scene

There was a notable drop in nightlife for students of SUNY New Paltz last year. Iconic house show venues like Radio Shack and Hog House closed their doors and after PNG’s had its liquor license taken, students were at a loss for how to entertain themselves every weekend. 

However, at the start of this semester, the house show scene was reinvigorated. Nebraska returned for another year and The Ashtray, Grandma’s, The Bird House and Exotic Emporium opened this semester, giving the music scene a new life after the lull caused by last year. 

The Ashtray, a venue owned by New Paltz students Nicole Pottgen and Sarah DiMaio, opened at the beginning of this semester, with their first show taking place on Nov. 9. “The house show scene was the most invigorating thing to me when I first came to New Paltz. It was so much fun. There was so much accessibility to live music and I wanted to be an outlet for people to be able to experience that the same way that I was for a few years,” said Pottgen, a third year English major. 

They hosted two shows this semester, and featured six different bands, including The Getoffs and Wickham Falls. “We want to do a mix of genres. So if we have a band that’s pretty heavy rock that’s headlining, we’ll try to find a band that’s a little more chill to open up, just so the night is a good variety for everyone,” Pottgen explained. 

Grandma’s, another venue that has opened this semester, is run by Kelli Karlin, Nick LaRocca, Ryan Mauer, Luke Beaver and Gavin Senft. Although they have only hosted one show this semester, their venue has been years in the making. “Our sophomore year, we went to Hog House. And I remember going into the basement for that first time, and I was like if we ever are able to get a house with a decent basement like this one, I want to be able to have shows like this. It’s such a surreal experience being able to listen to music from students that also go to the same exact school that I go to, and just be able to relax and have a good time in someone’s basement,” said Karlin, a fourth-year visual arts major. 

“I thought last semester was really dull with the lack of anything in the town. I don’t know what changed over the past few months, but it’s gotten a lot easier to throw a few shows. It’s back to what I would describe as the peak of house shows and everything,” Karlin continued. “But it’s definitely heartwarming for me because I didn’t really go out to the bars. I kind of only went out to the house shows. So to see that re-emergence of the house shows back in New Paltz, it’s a heartwarming feeling to see that happen again.” 

The Bird House, formerly The Mouse Trap, is a backyard venue that opened earlier this semester. They have hosted three shows so far. “We inherited the house from The Mouse Trap and are all really interested in music. Most of us play some instrument and we all frequent other basement show venues together so it seemed like a no-brainer, a really fun way to participate in our community, keep that tradition going the Mouse Trap had started,” said Willow Baribault, a third-year philosophy and art history double major. 

Willow Baribault is one of seven housemates, including Maggie Baribault, Moss Amann, Emma McCoy, Bryce Walsh and Angelo Alamia. The Bird House dedicates themselves to being a fixture in the New Paltz community, hosting local vendors and local residents of New Paltz. Willow Baribault shared this notion: “House shows give people a more open, inclusive space to spend their nights or weekends as opposed to bars, especially for the younger student population. I think that’s the biggest difference, a dedicated space for young people to come together.”